How To Use Webinars To Grow Your Online Business

Webinars are essentially an online seminar that takes the form of a conference call. With the right webinar service, an unlimited number of people can register for and listen in on the session.

Webinars are presented via the Internet but you can also listen in using your telephone. A good benefit is that people from all over the world can register without worrying about exorbitant long distance charges, which could be substantial for a 60 minute seminar.

As an entrepreneur or business owner, you can use webinars to further your business and increase annual revenues. There are many companies online that specialize in facilitating a professional webinar and these services are advisable if you are a novice.

A service will help you set up the registration process, provide numbers and access codes for each registrant.

Distance webinars such as these are not appropriate for simply telling someone or a group of people about your products and services.

Although I guess you could have, for example, a virtual telephone based “Tupperware style” party. But it is better used for educational purposes that intuitively link back to your business. For example, you may want to provide a 60 minute teleseminar on “Signs of Aging and How to Slow the Process Through Skin Care”.

As you can see, this topic is broad based and would appeal to a wide range of people, and allows you to build a database to market your beauty products or services after the event.

You can earn revenue from webinars directly. You can charge a fee for attendance, but this should really be reserved for those who are truly experts in their field and can offer a high level educational experience to registrants.

If you do charge a fee, make sure that you have a perk package, such as a mailed package that includes product samples and a coupon, for example. Once again, this is another opportunity to market your business.

The setup of should be as follows:

• Welcome and Introductions – once all participants have entered the conference call, introduce yourself and your business, as well as any other speakers who may be presenting. Always give a brief outline, including an agenda and if there will be a Q&A period at the end of your webinar, let your visitors know.

• Presentation – begin the presentation and be sure to speak in a clear and concise manner keeping in mind that everyone is listening via telephone and some connections can be shaky. Stick with your agenda and go through each section methodically.

• Closing – make sure you have a closing segment so that participants know that the seminar is coming to a close. Be sure that you reiterate your company information and let everyone know that a follow-up email will be sent to all participants.

• Q&A – In most cases, questions must be submitted to the facilitator before the session starts. The telephone is not really the ideal format for an open question period.

It is a good idea to have an audio transcript of the webinar. Publish it on your business website and then send an email to everyone so they know where it is located. This is also a good opportunity to thank everyone for attending, elicit feedback and perhaps offer a discount to session attendees who are interested in purchasing your products or services.

Always be thinking of ways that you can link your business to any event, gaining the most marketing impact possible.